Different tasks call for different tools. If you want to look at some transistor strain, or some gate oxide thicknesses, or even crystal lattice orientation, you go for the big gun…

…the electron gun that's in the new TEM (transmission electron microscope)!

TEMs get their high resolution from the small de Broglie wavelength of electrons. That's quantum mechanics in action!

To make a long story short, TEM works by shooting a bunch of electrons at a piece of material, then watching the way the electrons interact with that material.

These are just some of the techniques and machinery that Chipworks employs to render all the fun images you see on their site. But just like a good magician, they can't reveal all their secrets. So let's take a look at what lurks inside the iPhone 5's chips.